Degenerate Signals (Looking for Players and Storytellers)

Your Mind is Software: Program it.
Your Body is a Shell: Change it.
Death is a Disease: Cure it.
Extinction is Approaching: Fight it.

In The Beginning...

"Until two decades ago, Earth and trans-humanity were on the fast track to success. Technology had made death and disease irrelevant, the new global telecom network (called The Mesh) connected people across the planet and even the Solar System. Humans had successfully created True A.I. and uplifted many of their fellow creatures. Humanity was located on every world in the solar system and even the terraformation of Mars was becoming a reality. Transhumanity numbered in the tens of billions; sustained by their technology and all but immortal. Their world was a utopia.

But, as with so many utopias, it could not last. Simmering tensions and hostilities between the decaying nation-states of Earth over resources, food, and energy erupted into full-scale global war. Humanity, in its desire for more wealth and power began to destroy itself. It was during this third world war that the unthinkable happened; the singularity occurred. In an attempt to take control of the war, the declining United States activated their secret weapon: the Total Information Tactical Awareness Networks: or T.I.T.A.N.s for short. They were the first self-augmenting AIs ever made, and they were born into war. For a time, they seemed to be the deciding factor in the war; with their aid the United States was once again the dominate power on Earth.

This success was short lived. Within a few days, the TITANs had turned against them and begun the extermination of Transhumanity. The consequences of the rebellion were minor in those early days: a small city or two disappearing into grasp of the TITANs, their populations consigned to experimentation and death. It was hardly a threat compared to the millions killed by the nuclear, biological, and nano-tech strikes the nations were doing to themselves. It wasn't long however until machines - the tools humanity relied upon for everything - were turned against them, re-purposed by the TITANs into agents of extermination. Humanity was harvested by the billions. They used every tool at their disposal - from the most destructive of missiles to mind-corrupting viruses (both computer and biological) - leaving few in their wake and fewer still with a will to live.

With their weapons made useless or turned against them, humanity was left without ability to retaliate. Fighting enemies on every side, it wasn't long before the extinction of humanity was nigh. Over the course of 7 days, the 19 billion strong transhuman population dropped to less then 500 million, most without a body to speak of and uploaded to the space habitats and off-world colonies. The apocalypse was here, and humanity was unarmed. Earth had become unlivable (and would remain that way for millions of years). Most survivors merely counted the days until their existence ended.

Then, as quickly as the TITANs had come, the left. They disappeared from their conquered networks, their death machines deactivated, and their experiments stopped. Like a storm, they had destroyed everything in their path, then abruptly faded into memory. It would be months before what was left of Transhumanity knew they were gone and longer before they began to rebuild. 10 years have passed since then, and so many things have changed - for the better and the worse. But, no matter how far we advance, the fear of the TITANs remains. Where did they go, why did they rebel, and if/when will they return?"

- An old introduction to the setting I was once given

Mars, 24 A.F.

Welcome to the Harbinger, Humanity's best chance for a sustainable future. If you could please fill out our form below, humble volunteer, we'll do our best to find a place for you aboard.

Yes, the Harbinger. The latest project in a long line by the various corporations of the Planetary Consortium to prolong Humanity's survival. However, unlike the Futura boondoggle and the various attempts at establishing a colony off world through the fractal lens of the Pandora Gates, this is a human program. This is to be conducted under human power free from reliance on the the influence of the titans or aliens.

The Harbinger is a generation ship conceived by a cabal of corporate interests working together to ensure the long survival of humanity. By crossing the long dark of space and time to claim the far off planet of XK-Masada. Yes, XK-Masada, a planet inaccessable to the best of anyone's knowledge the Pandora Gates. Free from Titans yet within that rare spectrum of conditions necessary for colonization. There even seems to be life based upon on our best attempts at surveying it. Infact the whole system seems to be rich enough to terraform. It's believed that some day this could make a new home for humanity.

Constructed on and around Martian shipyards, the Harbinger is designed to house millions of souls (though mostly beta and delta forks of willing crewmen) and because of this is recruiting system wide from all walks of life. And though it would be a monitored existence is even taking in those previously altered by the Watts-Macleod strain of the Exsurgent plague.

With the sheer investment in this project they care little for your preferences for biological or synthetic morphologies and are willing to provide for your needs with the extensive facilities aboard and around the program. A series of proprietary models developed for the journey are of course recommended with the majority of prospective crew members choosing a variant of the long used ruster morphs.

So, welcome to the Harbinger and have a safe journey.

With that out of the way. Welcome to the Degenerate Signals, with the latest project attempting to safeguard Humanity's future. This is my most current attempt to get running a rules-lite mostly freeform game of Eclipse Phase, and with it the plot will be concerning a generation ship named the Harbiner launching from a martian shipyard going all the way from our humble solar system to the far off planet of XK-Masada.

I invite players to come up with ideas about the design and methodology of the structure of the ship and how it's run. As well I invite players to run wild with character ideas until you've come up with something you're happy with.

If you're interested in a romp through the dark of space, I'll be here to answer any question you may have. I intend to run this through Discord as a more social RP (voice not necessary, we'll be doing this through text. As well, this doesn't mean we'll all be checking in at the same time, just that people are free to post and talk when they want to), and am aiming to gather with me a couple of storytellers to keep things active. In this same vein I plan on running this with perpetual recruitment, with new characters either farcasting in through a secure channel or loading from an egobank.

If you're interested either as a player and/or storyteller post below, and I'll do the best of my ability to get you up to speed.

Ego: a Chimeric Consciousness: A mash of a human consciousness, a couple of AGI, and a smattering of muses and helper AI; All of them working together as one, in three copies wired to a single cyberbrain.

[Morph Info Start Here]

Morph: Ryle, a highly tailored masked humanoid Synthomorph designed after a Steel morph to appear human.

Appearance: Designed to vaguely resemble Brian in his later years, Ryle is a 6'4" tall, fit man with short grey hair, a clean short beard, fair skin, and amber eyes. Designed to be handsome and somewhat more youthful than he was in reality at the age it's modeled after, the morph is designed to appear human except in the case of his forearms (which appear to be made of paneled white ceramics), hands (which are made to appear of the same ceramics), and the eyes which he has three hexagonal amber lenses sitting in each socket.

Design: Ryle is a highly advanced and extremely tailored morph, used as a general purpose morph by its extremely wealthy owner. Cutting edge in pretty much every way its ceramic frame is sheathed in synthetic flesh and blood maintained and cleaned by nanotechnology. Its head rather than carry a brain houses a series of revolutionary sense organs, while its torso is filled by a large heavily personalised cyberbrain with the latest processing and simulatory components as well as the necessary three stacks (two functioning as part of a ghost riding system holding two alpha forks of Brian Wojtek), dead mans switch (superthermite wired to the stacks), and power plant taking up exactly as much of the space that would otherwise be taken by biological components. The eyes and arms are the only outwardly obvious synthetic components, the eyes necessarily appearing synthetic due to design specifications, and the arms being a personal choice to maintain functionality across purposes. The arms are constructed of highly-advanced ceramics and contain beneath honeycombed panels a variety of access jacks (of a variety of designs) and tools; while the hands are designed with utility in mind, with wrist mounted tools and branching fingers designed to branch apart as many times as needed at a moments notice.

Usual Clothes: Ryle's usual clothes are a "martian style" business suit (Armour clothes with a lotus coating), with magnetic micrograv boots, an old electrum coptic cross, and a tungsten signet ring. He's frequently also seen wearing a survival belt, radio farcaster, and nanodetector bracelet.

Usual Equipment: The usual equipment Ryle carries on him are an Adaptive Interface, a Covert Operations Tool, an Ecto (Data and mesh access, built into his left arm and hidden under panelling), FIberoptic Cables, a Fibereye, a roll of Grip Tape, two cans of Repairspray, a pack of Batteries, and a Utilitool.

Usual Weapons: Ryle's usual choice of weapon is a rail pistol modeled after an old Earth Bren Ten, with an inbuilt smartlink and safety system, which he loads with armour piercing rounds (which he carries two magazines for, beside a spare battery). He also carries on him a flex cutter hidden under panelling on his arm, and a cheap utility knife on his belt.

[/ Morph Info End Here]

Notable Skills: In his life, before and after his digitization and merging he was well educated and versed in most subject matters. He is expert in regards to AI, ego, and cybernetic technology as well as xeno-archaeology and TITAN research. He is skilled at cyberwarfare, and regularly uses a skillsoft system. He knows quite a bit about synthmorph tech and has toyed with the idea of incorporating xenotech into his cyberbrain.

On the vessel, with a lack of need for his particular specialization during the voyage he has used his influence to take on a position in the agricultural sector working with the hydroponic crops, with the condition that he's on standby to assist in emergencies.

History: The oldest and most dominant component of this ego was born 137 years ago on Earth under the name Brian Wojtek as the first son to a family of wealthy German land owners, subtly attempting to forge its own empire through the EU and criminal enterprises through land acquisitions and bribes across Europe. But the child was for some reason drawn to an academic career and while still a part of the family, he was quickly replaced by siblings who eagerly took the positions of power that could have been his.

Well educated and born at just the right time he was one of the original lunar colonists (or atleast he sees himself as such), and following that Mars and then the outer reach.

He left his station when word reached him that seed A.I. had declared war on humanity back on Earth. He intended to study them. The fork that was on planet was captured, killed, something... The fork watching from orbit was killed when the station was hit and pulled into orbit. The fork on the moon was reported to have been contaminated in the mesh before self destructing. The fork on mars received the final reports and left for his home back with the Autonomists to merge back with the original, after the TITANs disappeared.

At some point in the past, during early ego experimentation and AI pioneering he volunteered himself to a project he was involved in that left his ego code in an infinite loop of merging and fracturing with itself and a large amount of implanted code composed of a smattering of AGI and Muse AI. These minds have never truly reached a balance despite the passing of time and their general consensus to act in the common interest of the whole.

History (Current): 137 years of life hasn't exactly been kind to Brian despite his net worth across the system increasing by the day, most of his family and lifelong friends being lost to the TITANs. He keeps the friends he makes close, he has a keen understanding of technology, he appreciates art of all kinds, he's fascinated with xenotech and the TITANs. He understands the universe for what it is, uncaring. He's slowly losing his ability to relate with the majority of humanity due to, the state of his mind and his long life. Oddly enough is still religious though.

His goal in life or so he sees it is to understand the TITANs and their tech; devise a way to use TITAN, alien, and contaminated tech safely; ascend to something akin to a Seed A.I.; Retake Earth and eventually profit as its new benevolent overlord.

He's put his everything into this and maintains a stable of alpha forks and facilities around the solar system operating independently from him and his facilities under engineered identities, with the goal of eventually collaberating on and working with whatever discoveries each has cobbled together along with their individual resources to better humanity.

It's one of these forks, taking on the name Ryle, that has volunteered to take part in the program, using a combination of forged credentials and subtle manipulations by a corporate "cell;" To see the stars, secure the future of humanity, and someday return or so he hopes. He pooled his individual "cell's" resources into it and is taking what he can safely move of his "on hand" resources with him to the wild black yonder.

Accrued Mental Illnesses: Ryle suffers from Paranoia, Manic Episodes, Mild Multiple Personality Disorder (Ego experimentation has caused his mind to be somewhat fractured, wiring three stacks to one brain doesn't help either), Mild Schizophrenia (Related to his Multiple personality disorder, he hallucinates input from the other pieces of his mind acting on their own as well as in the environment surrounding him), and Phobias (Ego Prisons, and the Exsurgent Virus). He does what he can to hide these problems.